Legacy of a Pokémon Trainer
by Taliax
Summary: With each new Pokémon game, an adventure begins. Some adventures end happily, others not so much. But when each adventure builds upon the last, there are no true endings. A tribute to my childhood and current Pokémon games.


It started with a used white Game Boy Advance and a square gold cartridge, clogged with spit from being blown out one too many times. It was wonderful. Amazing. Only a few shades of dull colors and 8-bit background music. The sound of nostalgia.

XXX

_His first starter, a cyndaquil originally named Cynda. His rival, a redhead with three question marks in place of a name.  
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_Leaving his hometown was a nightmare. That dumb civilian wouldn't let him in the tall grass! How was he supposed to know he needed a pokémon?_

_But he began his adventure, full of ups and downs, secrets and mysteries. What was up with those creepy Ruins of Alph? And what disgusting monsters would eat _slowpoketail?

_He made it through that blasted dark cave, faced Team Rocket._

_But when it came to Ilex Forest, one cuttable tree stood in his path. Confused and outraged, he gave up on his quest._

His game ended. No one remembers his name.

XXX

Gold cartridge exchanged for sparkly blue, with another's name permanently staining it. But the trade was worth it: the character avatar could be a girl! The adventuring career field would no longer be dominated by boys!

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_Her starter, the feminine chikorita, weak to the first gym leader. No matter: she quickly caught an adorable jigglypuff, and the jigglypuff caught her heart. Chikorita was sadly neglected in favor of the pink puffball, affectionately named Fluffy._

_Until the fighting-type gym leader Chuck, at least. Even when faced with such an opponent, the trainer refused to use her moonstone on her beloved Fluffy. Chikorita had been evolved into a meganium, but only out of the trainer's pity and compassion on her starter._

_Fluffy fainted; Chuck's poliwrath had full health. Meganium's moment of glory._

_But afterwards, even though the meganium was victorious, Fluffy stole the spotlight once more._

_The dragon-type gym leader, Clair. After everything, Fluffy was too weak. Should the trainer break her oath to never evolve her beloved jigglypuff, or leave the moonstone unused at the bottom of her bag?_

The Crystal cartridge disappeared. The choice was never made.

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A new, dark green cartridge that didn't stick out the top of the new Game Boy Advance SP. Bright colors, a new world to be explored, new Pokémon to be discovered. The greatest adventure yet.

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_Her starter, a mudkip, trained quickly and efficiently. Team Aqua, Team Magma, the Elite Four, and the Champion all fell to her mighty team._

_She didn't stop there. No, that was only the beginning. She would take the challenge and Catch Them All._

_It took so, so long, so much training and trading, but her Hoenn pokédex was nearly complete. The last and final prize: Latias, the legendary Eon pokémon that roamed the land. Sighted first near Kyogre's ocean cave, the trainer had tracked Latias over the whole region._

_Bargained with another trainer for a master ball. Cornered Latias. Caught her._

_Latias, now with the very original name Latia, was the trainer's crown jewel. But the adventure continued._

_The trainer spent days, weeks, months, a year raising Latia. They were not Trainer and Pokémon, they were companions. Friends. Latia grew stronger and stronger, until she had reached her full potential. But the adventure continued._

_The Battle Frontier: the last and greatest challenge. The Battle Pike was cleared in no time, and several other facilities were tested, but it was the Battle Pyramid that caught the trainer's eye._

_So she braved the labyrinth and all its perils, reaching the top not once, not twice, but three times._

…_And lost to the Frontier Brain, master of the region's golem trio._

_Latia and the trainer were crushed. Though they tried, neither fought quite the same again._

The Emerald cartridge was left behind, save file cleared, but not before Latia moved on. And so _her_ adventure continued… but her heart wasn't in it anymore, without the trainer who had been with her through every challenge. For a long time, Latia waited in the box of a different game's save file. And waited. And waited…

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A white DS Lite. Game cards, not cartridges. Diamond. Platinum. SoulSilver.

White. The color of rebirth. A new adventure begins.

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_Her starter, a snivy, but a tiny oshawott named Xion takes its place and grows in its stead. Becomes dewott, samurott._

_She meets N. Such a strange boy, but with such a strong connection to pokémon. And a strong connection to her, it seems. Those short moments on the Ferris wheel are engraved in her memory._

_But she won't let his differing opinions stop her. Her team grows: samurott is joined by solosis, litwick, rufflet, deino. Reuniclus, chandelure, braviary, hydreigon. Minion, Incarceron, Roxas, Saix. But one space remains empty._

_She knew N would choose her to be the other hero. Had hoped for it desperately. They would tame their dragons. If only they were on the same side…_

_The Elite Four is merely a test before the real challenge begins in N's Castle. But why doesn't Team Plasma challenge her? She feels welcome here. Anthea and Concordia show her…_

_N's playroom? Unnerving. She feels sorry for him, with such a twisted childhood._

_Then, the moment of truth: Zekrom accepts her as Hero and takes the name of Xehanort. Reshiram and Zekrom are forced to battle as the trainer is forced to fight N._

_She isn't all too happy to win._

_But it isn't over. Of course, this was Ghetsis's fault, not N's. But after she fights the true leader of Team Plasma, the other Hero flies away on his white dragon._

_Surely no adventure could equal this one. Surely the trainer could never again be the same, after once being a Hero._

_Time passes. She still wonders about N, but she's managed to distract herself by putting all her effort into her training. The Elite Four and Champion fall. And fall again. And again. It becomes routine, would've been boring if it wasn't for the joy she shares with her pokémon as they grow._

_Her team is undefeatable. All at their greatest potential. She loves them._

_And one day, she receives a mysterious gift. A Latias, who will forever be Latia, who was also loved once. The pokémon is alone and afraid in the new region. The trainer cares for Latia as her own, part of the family. But a team will always be six, not seven._

_But there is another who could love one more dragon…_

_And when she meets him again, and she knows she will, she'll introduce him to Latia. She would be perfect for him._

_And the trainer searches for N._

XXX

Trainers, linked by microchips and wires, data and cartridges. But most of all, linked by memories.

And each adventure builds upon the last.

And the adventure continues.

**A/N: This thing started writing itself in my head at midnight, so I had to get up and get some paper and write it all down. Inspiration comes at the most inconvenient times. *sigh* Anyway, I've been a Pokémon fan for as long as I can remember, but I fail at writing actual decent Pokémon fanfiction. This is a sort of tribute, sort of a mash-up of lots of my own memories of old Pokémon games I've played. Since I wrote it when I was half-unconscious, it might be a little weird. *sweatdrop* Especially the ending. I can't help shipping N/Female-player-character. ^^;;**

**I only capitalize the names of legendary Pokémon, and I only capitalize Pokémon itself when talking about the games/anime/etc., not the creatures in their own universe. **

**Why yes I am a Kingdom Hearts nerd and have to nickname my Pokémon after characters, thank you for noticing. And Minion is a Megamind reference. ^^**


End file.
